Although comparisons to the real British royal family and E!'s show The Royals may be a stretch (uh, I cannot imagine Queen Elizabeth II acting like Elizabeth Hurley's Queen Helena), there is one association the show appears to be encouraging. The wacky Princesses Maribel and Penelope on The Royals seem to be based on or mirroring real-life Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. (OK, maybe "mirroring" is a strong word in this case — theirs is more like a funhouse mirror.) Creeptastic Cyrus' princess daughters are definitely on the show to lighten the mood with their outrageous outfits and invasive waxing procedures. So where do Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie come in?
Like Maribel and Penelope are cousins to Prince Liam and Princess Eleanor on The Royals, Beatrice and Eugenie are cousins to Prince William and Prince Harry. But rather than Cyrus as their father, Beatrice and Eugenie are the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. (Hey, that reminds me — who is Maribel and Penelope's mom? I can't wait for that plot point to come out.) Prince Andrew is brother to Prince Charles — and is farther away from the throne than good ole Uncle Cyrus. Beatrice and Eugenie are currently sixth and seventh in line for the throne behind Princes Charles, William, baby George, Harry, and Andrew. (That will change once Kate Middleton has her second baby with Prince William.) So just like Maribel and Penelope, they are involved in the royal family, but will never actually sit on the throne.
Actress Hatty Preston, who plays Princess Maribel, told The Mail, "I based Maribel on the Made In Chelsea stars, but the make-up girls and wardrobe ladies had photos of Beatrice and Eugenie pinned up everywhere. It’s a spoof. I hope they realise we’re laughing with them, not at them."
For those of us Americans unfamiliar with the U.K. show Made In Chelsea , it's described as: "An eye-opening reality series that follows the lives and loves of the socially elite 20-somethings who live in some of London's most exclusive postcodes." And Maribel and Penelope definitely have an elite lifestyle that is unimaginable to most of us common folk.
But the fact that it's just been accepted by the public and media that the two arguably most ludicrous characters on The Royals are based on the two real princesses seems a bit cruel. Yes, they did wear absurd hats to the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton:
But I mean, it's not like the other women on The Royals don't also wear stupid hats. I just blame Britain on that one.
There are rumors that the sisters (particularly Beatrice) don't get along with Kate and Pippa Middleton, but that's really just tabloid fodder. Both Beatrice and Eugenie are living in the U.S. currently, with Eugenie working at an online auction house and Beatrice studying finance (I can't imagine Maribel and Penelope doing such responsible things). And yes, the real princesses may sometimes look silly in photos, but Beatrice and Eugenie don't truly deserve to be compared to Maribel and Penelope — just like no royal should be compared to Cyrus, Eleanor, Liam, or Helena. These characters are just that — characters. And as over-the-top as the British royalty may be with their wealth and grandeur (and hats), it will never be as insane as whatever goes down on The Royals.
Images: Tim Whitby/E!; theroyals-daily, queenhelenas/Tumblr; Getty Images
